ON THE ACCURACY OF INSPECTORS

Abstract

Reasons for inspector inaccuracy have been examined in three main groups: reasons of basic individual abilities; of formal organization (training, instructions, physical conditions, the lay-out of the job); and of interpersonal relations and social relations. Without denying the importance of the basic individual abilities of inspectors, which must set the ultimate limits of accuracy, it seems that the actual limits in a working situation are set by the other two groups of reasons. These practical limits may be well inside the limits set by basic psychological and physiological functions. For example, given an inspector who is well equipped with the basic abilities and aptitudes for the actual inspection task itself, he cannot operate more accurately than his instructions, for instance, allow him to. Moreover, even if well selected, well trained and well briefed, he still can be no more accurate than the pressures of interpersonal and other social relations permit. These interpersonal relations do not necessarily make him pass work that should be failed; they may also make him fail work that should be passed. Conversely, the production man will be more eager to ‘ get products past ’, to trick the inspector, when he does not‘ sanction ’ the inspector. This may in turn make the inspector reject more of the work of the man who tries to trick him than is actually bad. These interpersonal and social relations become all the more important when the inspection task is the more ‘ socio-technical ’—involving direct interaction with production.

It seems that when relations between production and inspection are poor. when production feel they can not sanction the inspectors and/or their standards, and when inspection chooses to play its role in a dominant, authoritative, and essentially invidious way. rather than as finding neutral facts, then not only will inspector accuracy be adversely affected, but there will also be strong pressures against inspection supervisors testing their inspector's accuracy.

Although the obvious man to check inspector accuracy is the inspector's own supervisor, there are powerful pressures against his doing this,Not only are there practical difficulties, but also there is the fact that inspection supervisors, and others, tend to become ‘ product-bound ’, even to the neglect of their true supervisory duties. Moreover, the pressures of interdepartmental relations encourage inspection supervisors to see themselves first as inspectors, and only secondarily as supervisors.

The general conclusion is that inspector accuracy, in a working situation, is determined by a wide range of factors. Problems of inaccuracy must then be studied in a wider context than is given by any single approach.